Building Better Communication Through Actionable Books
Strong teams are built on trust and a deep understanding of other’s values, aspirations and motivation, supported by a mutual appreciation of each other. But how can hard working professionals with little time come to understand and develop that trust and appreciation that's so important to their long term success? How does a team take time to connect? Most of us aren’t ready to sit in a circle, sing kumbaya, and share our feelings.
At Actionable Books, we've been developing the concept of Collaborative Communication which offers a highly effective method of fast-tracking cultural development and team trust growth.
Collaborative Communication, as a team development methodology, is about getting all members of a team (including its manager) to learn a new concept together. As a collaborative unit, the team works to understand what a concept, process, or best practice means and how it might apply to its unique circumstances. At ActionableBooks.com, we've created a tool called Actionable Workshops that provides busy team leaders with access to forty-four pre-packaged modules that make it easy for these conversations to come to life in a team’s office. Here's an example of how it might play out:
Let's say the manager wants to talk about time management. So she grabs a workshop inspired by The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by the late Stephen Covey. Over the course of the first 20 minutes of an hour long session, the manager would explain a few concepts from the book, making sure that everyone understands them clearly (We call this "tactical learning."). Then, during the remaining 40 minutes of the session, the team (including the manager) works through exercises that help them figure out how to apply those time management concepts to their own lives and business. Those 40 minutes become a catalyst for deeper thinking, planning and - most importantly - conversation.
Team members walk away from each workshop session with practical knowledge that they can each apply to their professional lives, as well as a deeper understanding of the people around them. When run on a frequent basis (Every 4-6 weeks has proven to provide maximum impact.), these sessions act as an anchoring point for team growth.
The obvious benefit of this approach is that the team learns something new every month, without having to read an entire book. The perhaps not-so-obvious benefit - one that far outweighs the tactical learning - is that, for an hour a month, the team gets to communicate with each other, discuss their professional life without referring to immediate issues, fires that need to be put out, or specific client cases. More importantly, the conversation is not a manager vs team mentality that many employee performance reviews take. Instead, the manager and her team are collaborating, working through the concept together; discussing the potential application to the business and to the team. Working together to apply an idea, the team connects with something deeper, i.e. issues, feelings and aspirations that are lurking just below the surface.
We're so busy in our lives, flying from fire to fire, that we rarely take time to reflect on what's important to us in the long term. Even more rarely do we engage in conversation like this with our peers. Over the last four years at Actionable Books, we've found that teams who do have these types of conversations, on a regular basis, consistently realize higher productivity, lower turnover and a general increase in morale. It makes sense, doesn't it? If you could come to work knowing that your colleagues understand and respect you, and that you all share a desire to see each other succeed, wouldn't you be willing to work harder? Wouldn't you think twice before moving to another company?
People want to be engaged in their work. They want to feel that what they do matters and that they have the support of the people around them in pursuing their own aspirations. As a leader, you have the ability - and the obligation - to create an environment that supports those desires. And you can use Actionable Books to help you achieve these goals.
The Language Lab Guest Blogger: Chris Taylor is the Founder and President of ActionableBooks.com; providing high performing leaders with tools to quickly and inexpensively develop themselves, their teams and their work relationships. To learn more and for a free trial of Actionable Workshops visit www.actionablebooks.com/workshops.
The recent tempest in a pasta pot that erupted after the owner of a Montreal restaurant was told by the “language police” to translate into French the word “pasta” on his menu to comply with French language requirements in Quebec got me thinking about the language offences committed by people in their business communication. In spite of the absurdity of this “Pastagate” incident, as pointed out by French language journalists, maybe we do need a language police force to keep in check and improve business communication skills.
If you ever had doubts about the power of language and the impact of your words, take a look at the amount of time wasted and the profits lost due to poorly written emails, reports and so on. Research shows that the 58% of Canadian workers who spend two to four hours per workday reading written communication, believe the following to be the costs of poor writing in those communications:
• 70 % identified loss in productivity
• 85% identified wasted time
• 63% described errors
Estimates suggest that writing deficiencies cost companies $3.1 billion annually. That’s a lot of money! So you might want to consider avoiding going to ‘language jail’ and improve your own business communication. After all, if someone reads a poorly written email or report that you or your company has generated, it will have a lasting impact on the perception of your work, on productivity and on profit. So here are three tips to help you.
How to avoid the business “language police”
1. Practice these quick steps to help you write effectively:
-Plan first what you want to write, i.e. determine your goal/objective for the communication
-Know your audience; then write specifically for that audience
-Edit, edit some more and proofread carefully for errors
-Have someone you trust read your work before sending it out, especially if it contains sensitive information
2. Explore the Language Lab’s blog archives for a wealth of tips on how to write effectively:
My wife and I had our first baby just five months ago. It’s completely changed our lives. It’s wonderful, incredible, and joyous… and at times stressful, tiring and frustrating.
And little Nate cries quite a bit and quite loudly too.
His crying lets us know that he’s unhappy, uncomfortable, or afraid, or that he wants something.
But we really don’t know which of these, needs, let alone what specifically would comfort him, would make him happy and allow him to sleep. Trust me, I’ve tried asking him many times! But he just doesn’t answer. I don’t know what he wants, and he probably doesn’t get why I’m not better at helping him. You see, we don’t speak the same language and that creates a huge breakdown in communication. Not only does it create a breakdown, but both of our needs go unmet and our wants go unrealized – a common situation that can easily affect us in our business.
As you know, there are certain expectations all of us want from our business:
•get more clients
•charge higher fees
•grow our reputation
•service our clients better
•better train, manage and leverage our staff
•create stronger partner relationships
•and build an incredible business
…just to name a few.
To achieve these expectations, there is an important skill you need to master: Effective Communication. And for me, ”Communication creates shared reality.” This is a definition I learned in college that has always guided me well.
Think about it for a moment… If I can’t communicate to you what I’m thinking, I’m in my own reality. And if you can’t communicate to me what you’re thinking, your experiences and thoughts are truly your own as well. We might be occupying common space, but without being able to communicate we are in completely different worlds. There is no basis for sharing common thought; thus, no basis for common existence.
So how does this fit with business? If you want to conduct or gain business, you need to create a shared reality. How can you market to someone and get your message through to her/him, if you don’t speak the same language? And I don’t mean literally speaking a language other than your own native tongue. I mean speaking in a way that demonstrates you understand the phrases and words your clients, prospective clients, employees, marketing partners and others use. And just as importantly, so they understand you.
For example, last week I worked with a web designer client to develop a signature talk that could be delivered to different groups in his target market. To make his presentation effective and resonate, it was important that we identified his prospects’ pain points, problems and challenges. But we needed to use their words, not his, so he could connect with them, teach them and help them learn how to promote their ideas.
For the social networking promotion piece written for a realtor client’s newsletter, and for her networking event, she was promoting on her Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts, it was important that the subtleties of each word or phrase we used determined which ones we chose over another. These words needed to create a shared reality with her readers. These were words that would draw out their commons goals, entice them to attend the event and frame it so they felt they would get the most out of it.
For my chiropractor client who was working on interviewing candidates for an office manager position, we needed to evaluate his communication style, words and body language, and those of the candidates. We needed to ensure that their answers contained the skills and experiences he sought, but also to find out if the way they conducted themselves matched the way they responded to his interview questions.
As I noted earlier, communication is key to creating understanding through a shared reality. Always consider its impact. And be sure to practice doing it. Work with a professional to really hone and refine your skills for maximum effectiveness.
Like little baby Nate, who is getting better at telling us what he’s thinking with certain grunts and facial expressions, we’re still practicing and learning each other’s languages. With this practice, we know it won’t be long until we really understand each other.
The Language Lab Guest Blogger: Jason Rosado coaches small business owners to get more clients, work less hours and make a great living while fulfilling their personal mission of service. He is a prolific and sought-after speaker in the areas of sales, marketing, leadership and business development. For more advice and free resources, visit Distinctive Coaching for Small Business Success to achieve your ideal business.
The Language Lab Guest Blogger: Jason Rosado coaches small business owners to get more clients, work less hours and make a great living while fulfilling their personal mission of service. He is a prolific and sought-after speaker in the areas of sales, marketing, leadership and business development. For more advice and free resources, visit Distinctive Coaching for Small Business Success to achieve your ideal business. 
